Social media, chain messages and 1 like = $1

We are part of a generation whose center of attention is that of social media. We wake up and log on to Facebook, Twitter and the likes and read whats posted almost like its our daily news. I have become so accustomed to hearing and saying things like "I saw it on Facebook" or "there was a link on twitter" that its almost as normal as eating and sleeping. We are the technology generation and sometimes our biggest battle in the day may be that of not having enough data - oh just the thought of it has made some of you cringe hasn't it? I have often found myself in an odd debate or two about social media and its relevance to us and our daily living and I must admit I am pro social media and those that know me well know this about me. I have a friend that often refers to me as her social media expert. I love Facebook, I am an avid tweeter, I have a profile on Linkedin, I love Pinterest and I have over 1000 pictures posted up on Instagram. Here is the thing though, there has to come a point where we have to stop being gullible about everything that is posted on the internet. As shocking as this may seem but not everything you read is the truth. Recently there has been an overflow of killing people that are not really dead, chain messages and AMENs going around and it just doesn't seem right.

The joy of being a teacher is that one gets to be on leave once every quarter and so as we got some time off between term 3 and 4, I found myself browsing the internet a lot  and certain things just kept sticking out for me. I remember telling myself that I shouldn't be taking social media so personally but I feel that at some point someone needs to say something in order for the craziness to stop. I was watching TV the other day and my phone started to buzz like crazy so I picked it up and read messages from various groups sharing the story of Joyce Meyers passing and so naturally I went to my partner in crime Google and searched "is Joyce Meyer Dead" to which I found wasn't the case and so I went on with my business. I logged on to Facebook the next morning and almost 50% of the people on my friend list were posting statuses about Joyce Meyer and her passing. Wait... What is going on I thought? It shocked me as to how easy it was to sell that story or how easy it is to sell any story for that matter. Why didn't anyone else think of google? Nonetheless, I decided that I was going to be the new "social media investigator 101" and see how many people actually post, share and like things that just don't make sense. As the days went on I was shocked to find that people will retweet, pin and share almost anything. Here's some of the stuff that really got to me, firstly lets get this in the open, no social media site will ever stop your profile from going public just because you updated a status. Stop telling everyone you better be safe than sorry - it's never going to happen. Your settings are your settings and you are the only one that can control it and that's the end of it. Besides, I am sure all these IT guys have other things to do with their time besides that of messing up your personal life. I am a firm believer that being kind is the most important quality any person can possess. Being kind is something I have tried to make my lifestyle over the years because sometimes all someone needs is someone to be kind to them to change their situation around however typing AMEN on a picture of a baby on a life support machine is not kind, in fact its actually cruel that someone thinks that pictures like that should be posted and while we are on the topic, are you really praying for the individual on that picture or is your AMEN as far as it goes? Sharing and liking posts such as those also can't cure cancer! I promise you. Also, Facebook is not going to ever and I mean ever give anyone $1 just because you typed AMEN! The radio station 94.7fm in Johannesburg tried to raise funds for a baby to go overseas to get some treatment recently and they posted it up on their social media. It was amazing to see the amount of generous people that there are in this country. I loved following the story and personally I hoped that it was something that would go viral but alas that wasn't the case. I guess maybe it didn't phase everybody as much as an AMEN post because this actually meant they had to get involved and make a small sacrifice in their own lives. Another thing that upsets me is the fact that people think that their salvation with God depends on whether or not they share a chain message and they have the audacity to bring scripture in to it to. Why though? I am 100% certain that Jesus isn't going to deny me just because I didn't send your chain message. He doesn't have an identity crisis about who He is and His identity certainly isn't connected to chain messages either. Also, chances are that I probably wont have 15 friends if I send your message to 15 friends in 15 minutes. 

It doesn't take much to get something to go viral anymore. According to the latest stats, all you need is an apple and a pen to make a new song and get everyone talking and lets not forget the infamous Keegan and his show down - because somehow it isn't obvious that the whole situation was fabricated just to cause a stir. Yes, I get that in the entirety of life this is all pretty harmless but as a friend of mine says, we can find a cure for ugliness but stupidity is another story. Life often teaches us lessons and the one lesson that I had to learn the hard way is to think about how something will make someone else feel before saying or doing what I think is okay. See, you may not know this but someone in your friend list is probably fighting cancer and wants a cure. How do you think seeing that post about cancer makes them feel? Someone on your friend list that's following you is probably trusting God for his/her families salvation, how do you think seeing those chain messages makes them feel? That violent video you posted about Keegan and his friends was probably watched by someone who lost someone in their family due to bullying. Its time we stopped taking everything like a joke and following trends trying to be wise sheep because lets be fair here, the term wise sheep doesn't go together. If any of you have read this and thought well, hows that for judgment please know that if anything its the furthest thing from placing judgment. I do feel however that we need to stop believing everything we read and that sometimes using a little bit of common sense and discretion goes a long long way.

Until next time remember that it takes nothing to join the crowd but it takes everything to stand alone.

Loshnee